TW: Sensitive content. This post features real stories about body appearance that may be upsetting to some readers.
Dove has been known for years for it’s body-positive branding, including slogans such as “Changing the Face of Beauty” and spearheading efforts like the Self-Esteem Project. Their latest stunning PSA is another example of their commitment to making beauty standards more diverse and less harmful to the children who consume beauty content online. In this mega-viral 3-minute video, the Dove Self-Esteem Project shows the harm that long-term exposure to certain social media content can do to children consuming it every single day.
The ad starts out focusing on a cute little girl named Mary. We watch her grow as the song “You Are So Beautiful to Me” plays in the background. We see a silly, excited, creative young girl blossom into a tween before our eyes. Then, we see Mary receive her first smart phone.
Soon, Mary begins to change. As she grows up, she grows sad. Her smartphone has opened up the world of online beauty content and influencers to her, and we see her beginning to journal about how gross she is, her goal weight, and even joining Weight Watchers for teens. Mary berates herself for her eating habits, and continues to watch content by “perfect” influencers online. As we watch an influencer measure her legs to ensure she has a “thigh gap,” we see Mary take selfie after selfie as she struggles to achieve a certain look.
Finally, we see a thin, pained-looking Mary in the hospital. Her tiny arm has an IV, and she looks frail. Mary has entered treatment for the eating disorder she’s developed in pursuit of that perfect social media-ready body.
Next, we see an older Mary. She looks healthier. Her mom sweetly sings. “you are so beautiful to me.” Mary wipes a tear from her mother’s face as a graphic tells us that she is now in recovery from an eating disorder.
Finally, we see a montage of lovely young women of all colors, shapes, and sizes who are in recovery from various forms of self-harm, body dysmorphia, mental health disorders, and eating disorders. We learn that young children and teens are heavily and negatively influenced by the beauty standards portrayed by online influencers, and thankfully, we also learn that recovery from this is possible.
Dove Takes Action
Parents, I urge you to take action on this! Monitoring the content your kiddos consume on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media apps is extremely important. What’s even more important is starting conversations with your kids before they begin consuming this content about what’s real and attainable when it comes to outward appearance and what’s not, about the fact that healthy looks different on every single body, and that your kids are already wonderfully and beautifully made in God’s image. The reels, videos, and “wellness” tips that online influencers feature can take our kids down an unhealthy path in the pursuit of outer “beauty” and parents are the first line of defense, and the first road block on that path.
Parental involvement is very important, but so is standing up and making a change in what kind of content is allowed on social media apps. That’s why Dove ends the PSA by asking viewers to sign their petition to pass the Kids Online Safety Act. According to Dove, “8 in 10 youth mental health specialists say social media is fueling a mental health crisis.” That’s why they want us to join them “on our mission to make social media a more positive place by taking a stand against its harmful design, so that platforms can be safer for kids.”
The petition is a joint effort between The Dove Self-Esteem Project, Common Sense Media, and Parents Together Action “to help make social media a safer experience for kids.”
As the mom of a teen girl, that’s definitely a mission I can get behind. So, share this post and this amazing viral video and let’s get the word out about how to give our kids a healthier, safer future.
